MULTAN, May 27th:The hottest weather when mercury shot up to 49 degree celisius coupled with unscheduled loadshedding in Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions have created numerous problems for people belonging to different walks of life, who have to suffer in scorching heat.The people were of the view that they can bear the hot weather if there is electricity, but the sudden increase in loadshedding during last one week has disturbed their routine life as they can neither have a peaceful sleep in the night nor they can do their business in the day.
Ubaidullah, a resident of Basti Khudadad said that hot weather and the power outage has created problems for students, as they couldn’t concentrate on their studies because of the electricity crisis. "My two children are preparing for midterm examinations, but they could not concentrate on study due to loadshedding," he added.
Abdul Qayyum, a resident of Kukkar Hatta, said that the residents of the area were facing worst kind of power outages and life has become very difficult for them. He said that despite government orders for closure of shops and markets at 8:00 p.m. and two days weekly off the concerned authorities have failed to overcome the electricity crisis and to provide electricity, which is one of the basic necessities of life.Yaqoub Mirza, a shopkeeper in Saddar Bazaar, said that government has passed the orders to close the shops and markets at 8:00 p.m. to overcome the electricity crisis. "We are following the orders, but despite this government has failed to provide us the electricity," he added. He said that there is loadhsedding in the day, which is affecting their business. "We are already facing loss, as only handful of customers visit our shops because of the hot weather and the power outage has increased our problems," he said. Rabia Khan, a housewife, said that the time of loadshedding in May is around 10 to 12 hours per day and wondered as what would happen in June and July when the mercury will rise further.She said that electricity loadshedding creates lots of problems like shortage of water, which halts routine life. "The concerned authorities should make a schedule for electricity loadshedding and follow it strictly," she added.
Ubaidullah, a resident of Basti Khudadad said that hot weather and the power outage has created problems for students, as they couldn’t concentrate on their studies because of the electricity crisis. "My two children are preparing for midterm examinations, but they could not concentrate on study due to loadshedding," he added.
Abdul Qayyum, a resident of Kukkar Hatta, said that the residents of the area were facing worst kind of power outages and life has become very difficult for them. He said that despite government orders for closure of shops and markets at 8:00 p.m. and two days weekly off the concerned authorities have failed to overcome the electricity crisis and to provide electricity, which is one of the basic necessities of life.Yaqoub Mirza, a shopkeeper in Saddar Bazaar, said that government has passed the orders to close the shops and markets at 8:00 p.m. to overcome the electricity crisis. "We are following the orders, but despite this government has failed to provide us the electricity," he added. He said that there is loadhsedding in the day, which is affecting their business. "We are already facing loss, as only handful of customers visit our shops because of the hot weather and the power outage has increased our problems," he said. Rabia Khan, a housewife, said that the time of loadshedding in May is around 10 to 12 hours per day and wondered as what would happen in June and July when the mercury will rise further.She said that electricity loadshedding creates lots of problems like shortage of water, which halts routine life. "The concerned authorities should make a schedule for electricity loadshedding and follow it strictly," she added.
MULTAN,April 2nd:Seraikistan Qaumi Movement (SQM) Chief Hameed Asghar Shaheen has said that Kalabagh Dam is the only solution to meet energy requirements as it is the only option to take the bull of energy by horns and to irrigate the million acres of barren land of Thal and Cholistan.Talking to newsmen here on friday.Shaheen said that Kalabagh dam project was dropped by the rulers because it was in the benefit of Southern Punjab which could change the destiny of 50 million people.He said that Indus Basin Irrigation system is "the food machine of our country which is going to be impeded by our negligence and poor strategic wisdom". He also said that question of Pakistan's progress and development came immediately after country's birth when only 20 to 30MW electricity was produced. He said that first violent step had been taken by India when she stopped Ravi and Satluj and ruined 7 million acres of fertile belt of Pakistan.In 1960 India snatched the water of three rivers and Pakistan chose to construct Mangla and Terbela through Indus Water Treaty. He called it a pro-Indian accord although it was signed by Pakistan administration. "We cannot find this kind of accord today since no country can compromise her future when her economy, development, progress and prosperity walks immensely with the flow of water," he added.He advocated Kalabagh Dam by referring a report -The Development of Water and Pawer Resources of West Pakistan complied by Indus Study Team formulated by Dr. Lifnic executive director of World bank- that it was the only project which will provide ample energy in the opening decades of twenty first century. He also said that present crisis had been forecasted by the Indus Study Team and he had also been apprising the ruling and political elite of the intense sensitivity of the issue but nobody would pay heal to it.He rejected the thermal production of electricity completely and said that fuel cast makes the production cost too high. According to him 1 kg of furnace oil casting Rs. 50 can be used in the production of 4 units only and per unit production cast becomes Rs. 12 whereas hydal unit can be produced of 49 paisas only. 40% of the consumers are domestic and others are industrial and agricultural. How they all would be comfortable with thermal unit casting sky high as compared to hyderal unit. We are not only facing short fall, destroying our industry and agriculture rather we are obliterating our economy."We have to put our own house in order first only then we can look straight into the eyes of India and India could never harm us if we would have husbanded our portion of water", he said while replying to a question.Commenting on the Apportionment Accord Shamas said that the matter had been politicised no way in the favor and interest of the country rather it had been done only to score more and more points. He said that Khayber Pakhtoonkhwa is above the Kabul river and Sindh got 14.7 million acre ft instead of 10 million acre ft which is 47% more after the construction of terbela dam. So he rejected all reservations and appealed the authorities to go for this precious project. "We are paying the price of our previous mistakes and we have to pay more in future if we don't think well no," he concluded.
MULTAN, Feb 13th: Local parliamentarians Senator Syed Javed Ali Shah of PML-Q, Senator Malik Salahuddin Dogar of PPP, Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan MNA chairman of NA’s standing committee on ports and shipping, Begum Memona Hashmi, Begum Nasim Chaudhry , Nawab Liaquat Ali have bitterly criticized the India for constructing dams on Chenab, and digging a tunnel at Siachen to divert the flow of Indus towards India and other rivers providing water to Pakistan, as the actions were causing deficiency of water in Pakistan, which could result in a drought situation.In their separate statements issued here on Saturday .They said India was constructing Baghlihar and Kishan Ganga dams as well as the Wullar Barrage on the rivers in violation of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960,) They warned that Indian actions could trigger war between the two South Asian countries. “It is water terrorism. India wants to make Pakistan barren,”they said.Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of PML-N said that India had declared water war against Pakistan from the eastern and western fronts. He said that on one hand India was building dams on the River Chenab, while on the other, it was working with the Afghan government to stop water from the River Kabul. He said that Indian water aggression was costing 3,900 megawatts of electricity to Pakistan, and loss worth $12 billion to the agriculture sector. Hashmi said India was cultivating its lands on expense of Pakistan’s lands, for which the government of Pakistan should be compensated.
“The government should use aggressive diplomacy to get this claim reimbursed and get India to stop its hydropower blocks,” he added. The PML-N legislator said that like the Indus Water Treaty, the inter-provincial water accord of 1991 should also be respected. Southern Punjab MNAs and Senators said that India had constructed a 28-mile-long tunnel in the Kargil area to get water from the Indus River, which was also a clear violation of the Indus Water Treaty. They urged the government to take effective measures to stop India from these illegal actions, and to claim penalty against the damages. They also called upon the government to launch a diplomatic campaign to stop India from causing damages to Pakistan.
“The government should use aggressive diplomacy to get this claim reimbursed and get India to stop its hydropower blocks,” he added. The PML-N legislator said that like the Indus Water Treaty, the inter-provincial water accord of 1991 should also be respected. Southern Punjab MNAs and Senators said that India had constructed a 28-mile-long tunnel in the Kargil area to get water from the Indus River, which was also a clear violation of the Indus Water Treaty. They urged the government to take effective measures to stop India from these illegal actions, and to claim penalty against the damages. They also called upon the government to launch a diplomatic campaign to stop India from causing damages to Pakistan.
MULTAN,Jan 14th: Members of National Assembly and Senate from South Punjab , Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan of PML-N, Begum Nasim Chaudhry of PPP, Senator Syed Javed Ali Shah of PML-Q, Jamshed Khan Dasti of PPP have expressed their grave concern over the shortage of water in the Southern Punjab and closure of all canals .They on Thursday asked the government to reconstitute the Council of Common Interests. They said in their separate statement that Southern Punjab was facing huge problems due to the water shortage caused by lack of rain this winter.(PML-Q) MNA Riaz Hussain Pirzada said different areas of Bahawalpur district were facing drought-related problems, and the situation was worsening with every passing day. He asked the government to reconstitute the Council of Common Interests to ensure the proper distribution of water. Blockade: PML-N's Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan said the government should take up the water distribution issue with India with the international community and should fight for its due share of water.
Jamshed Khan Dasti MNA of PPP also expressed similar views, saying there was a big water shortage in his constituency, which had resulted in great financial loss for the agriculture sector. He criticised the Punjab government for not paying salaries to teachers employed in government schools.
Jamshed Khan Dasti MNA of PPP also expressed similar views, saying there was a big water shortage in his constituency, which had resulted in great financial loss for the agriculture sector. He criticised the Punjab government for not paying salaries to teachers employed in government schools.
MULTAN,Jan Ist:The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) commissioned only one pilot project of producing electricity from wind energy in 2009 in collaboration with SUNEC China at Kalarkahar, having a capacity of 10x2KW while no practical steps were taken for power generation from solar energy.
According to sources, SUNEC China in collaboration with the AEDB had a programme to produce 1,000MW electricity by using wind power but it could only achieve 20KW power capacity.A notable development regarding the development of alternative energy for electricity generation during 2009 was the successful completion of negotiations on Energy Purchase Agreement (EPA) for setting up a 50MW wind power plant by the Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC). Sources in the Pakistan Electric Power Company said there were chances that the power plant would be inducted in the national grid within the first quarter of 2010.
Another development of the AEDB in collaboration with Pepco was the completion and submission to the National Electronic Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) of the documents for amending the grid code. The move was made for facilitating integration of the wind power projects in the national grid. The sources said the documents had been sent back by Nepra due to some loopholes and then they had been submitted back to the authority after five successive meetings.
In 2009, the AEDB also finalized of the agreement of the Green Power Private Limited (GPPL) for generation of 50MW electricity from wind energy.
An Islamabad-based company ‘FirstSolar’ wants to install a solar energy power plant of 1MW in partnership with the Pepco. It has been learnt that the company requires 12 acres of land anywhere in the country from the AEDB which has yet to be allocated.
It is also pertinent to note that electricity can be generated from solar energy only in the areas where there is no agriculture and the most suitable area for the purpose is Balochistan where there is little or no agriculture.The AEDB is also working on isolated projects of generating electricity from solar and wind in which a photovoltaic cell is used to facilitate a single house or a limited area.For electricity generation from solar energy in 2009, the Punjab government signed an agreement with a Japanese company and bought the land from the Bahawalpur University to install 2MW solar power plant, which would be a gift from the Japanese government.
The AEDB started developing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for solar power generation in 2009. In the same year, a training regarding Interconnection Studies (the testing done before connecting a plant to the grid) was initiated by board. This training would be funded by the USAID and the UNDP and it would be exclusive for the Wind Energy Project, a sub-project of the AEDB. Furthermore, the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) of Pepco would nominate the persons for the training and so far the NTDC had planned to nominate one person each from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). Eight persons would be nominated by the NTDC itself. The AEDB has also demanded to train one of its officials and if it happens, the NTDC will withdraw its candidate from the training list.
According to sources, SUNEC China in collaboration with the AEDB had a programme to produce 1,000MW electricity by using wind power but it could only achieve 20KW power capacity.A notable development regarding the development of alternative energy for electricity generation during 2009 was the successful completion of negotiations on Energy Purchase Agreement (EPA) for setting up a 50MW wind power plant by the Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC). Sources in the Pakistan Electric Power Company said there were chances that the power plant would be inducted in the national grid within the first quarter of 2010.
Another development of the AEDB in collaboration with Pepco was the completion and submission to the National Electronic Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) of the documents for amending the grid code. The move was made for facilitating integration of the wind power projects in the national grid. The sources said the documents had been sent back by Nepra due to some loopholes and then they had been submitted back to the authority after five successive meetings.
In 2009, the AEDB also finalized of the agreement of the Green Power Private Limited (GPPL) for generation of 50MW electricity from wind energy.
An Islamabad-based company ‘FirstSolar’ wants to install a solar energy power plant of 1MW in partnership with the Pepco. It has been learnt that the company requires 12 acres of land anywhere in the country from the AEDB which has yet to be allocated.
It is also pertinent to note that electricity can be generated from solar energy only in the areas where there is no agriculture and the most suitable area for the purpose is Balochistan where there is little or no agriculture.The AEDB is also working on isolated projects of generating electricity from solar and wind in which a photovoltaic cell is used to facilitate a single house or a limited area.For electricity generation from solar energy in 2009, the Punjab government signed an agreement with a Japanese company and bought the land from the Bahawalpur University to install 2MW solar power plant, which would be a gift from the Japanese government.
The AEDB started developing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for solar power generation in 2009. In the same year, a training regarding Interconnection Studies (the testing done before connecting a plant to the grid) was initiated by board. This training would be funded by the USAID and the UNDP and it would be exclusive for the Wind Energy Project, a sub-project of the AEDB. Furthermore, the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) of Pepco would nominate the persons for the training and so far the NTDC had planned to nominate one person each from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). Eight persons would be nominated by the NTDC itself. The AEDB has also demanded to train one of its officials and if it happens, the NTDC will withdraw its candidate from the training list.